The Producer (Woozi fanfic)

Chapter 3

The rest of the week passed by similarly to your first day. Woozi would send you on a meaningless task and you'd begrudgingly follow his orders. It was a never-ending loop but nothing was going to break your spirit. You just had to think a bit outside of the box to get through to him.

Your first idea: snacks. Food always wins people over, right?

You woke up extra early to beat Woozi to the studio, armed with his favorite bag of chips and a coke.

Woozi picked up the drink. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

A win is a win.

By day four of bringing Woozi snacks, you knew it was working. When you walked in, snacks in hand, Woozi was already at his desk, tinkering away. However, instead of the usual silence, a soft melody played from the computer speakers. His headphones were tucked safely in his desk drawer.

You smiled to yourself. Your hard work was paying off. You'd be off of paperwork duty in no time. You set the snacks down.

Woozi looked up from the computer, grabbed one of the bags, and opened it. "Thanks."

Should I say something about the song? You wondered, weighing your options. He would either let you help or continue to ice you out.

Fuck it.

"I like the song. It's catchy."

"Huh? Oh, thanks."

"Do you want some help?"

"No."

"Okay..." You turned back to your work, a bit defeated.

By day six, you considered your plan a mild success despite the mild set back the other day. Woozi actually turned around in his chair when he heard the door open as if he was expecting you.

You tossed him the chips. "So... I was thinking about that song you were playing the other day. I think it's missing some backup vocals during chorus. I think it would really tie everything together."

"I told you I didn't need help."

"I know, but I thought-"

"Well you thought wrong," Woozi interrupted.

You sighed in exasperation. "You can't keep sending me off to do meaningless tasks all day. You're supposed to be my mentor. Can't I help?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"You're not ready."

"And how would you know? I may not have quite as many years experience as you, but this isn't my first time." You crossed your arms, your frustration bubbling to the surface.

"Exactly. You don't have as much experience as me. So you don't know how this works. I decide when you're ready. If you don't like it, then you can complain to PD."

You bit your tongue. You needed this job. You couldn't complain and risk losing your dream job even if it wasn't what you had imagined. You'd be producing on your own soon enough. All you needed was more time. It was time to pivot to your next plan.

Idea number two to win Woozi over was to get every little task or errand he sent you on done as quickly as possible in the hopes that he ran out of wild goose chases to send you on. After a week, you were getting better and better at anticipating what he needed and getting it done before he could even ask.

"I finished setting everything up in the other room," you said.

"The microphones?"

"Yes."

"You printed all the notes I asked for?"

"Yes. And stapled them."

"And-"

"Already done."

Woozi frowned. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"You want me to make sure to book the studio for your other sessions this week. I already put in the request."

Woozi's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing you.

"That's what you were going to ask for, right? Is there anything else, or have I tackled everything on your list?" You asked, confident that there couldn't possibly be anything else.

"Yeah that's everything."

"So can I sit in on the session with you?"

"Fine. But you sit in the corner and take notes. You're there to learn and observe. Got it?"

"Yes!" You coughed, trying to cover up your excitement. "Yeah, got it. Learn and observe."

You took a seat in the corner of the room, pen and notepad in hand. Woozi sat at the desk, pulling up different files of beats and songs he wanted to play.

The producer and trainee entered the room not long after. Woozi greeted them both with a bright smile before launching into sharing his ideas. He didn't even bother to introduce you to them.

"Who is this?" The producer asked.

You introduced yourself. "I'm shadowing Woozi."

"Oh, are you a producer too?"

"Yes, actually, I just-"

"She's here to observe," Woozi interrupted, effectively cutting you off and steering the conversation away from you. "I have a few demos I think you'd be interested in."

It sucked being on the sidelines, even though it was a step up from running around at Woozi's beck and call. You were in the room but practically invisible. It was frustrating being so close to what you wanted but still having your dream dangle out of reach.

But sitting in on the session, seeing Woozi in action, reminded you of why you chose to apply to Pledis Entertainment in the first place.

Woozi lead the session with such skill and passion. It was infectious. Going into a session, you never know how fruitful it will be, but Woozi made it seem like creating the perfect song was inevitable in his presence. Sharing his ideas, pausing for their input, and then making changes to create their vision. It was a beautiful back and forth.

It was a side of Woozi you had only seen in behind the scenes videos or saw in glimpses during interviews when he talked about his writing process. This is where he truly flourished.

You had hoped maybe one of the other guys would try to include you, but they were so enwrapped in Woozi's ideas that they too forgot you were there.

Your notebook slowly filled over the course of the session with all of your ideas, things you wanted to voice but couldn't. You were there to learn and observe. So for now you would bite your tongue and bide your time.